The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad - Ch-1. Second Brahmana, The Creation of the Universe. : 13.2 Swami Krishnananda.
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Friday, August 20, 2021. 7:57. PM.
Chapter - I :
SECOND BRAHMANA :
THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE-13.2.
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There are three kinds of 'self' distinguished in the philosophy of the Ved?nta. These three 'selfs' are the three aspects of the conception of the One Self. They are called the Mukhya-atman, the Mithya-atman and the Gauna-atman, in Sanskrit. The Mukhya-atman is the primary Self, which is uniform and unique in every individual, equally. It does not differ from one person to another person, from one thing to another thing, like space contained in various vessels. It is the same space that is in all vessels, irrespective of the number and size of the vessels, etc. This ubiquitous Consciousness, which is equally present in all beings, irrespective of the distinctions of space, time and cause, is the Absolute Self. That is called the Mukhya-?tman. There is also the Gauna-?tman, or the secondary self which is distinguishable from the primary Self. It is not merely that one has within oneself, immanently present, the eternal primary Self, but there is also another kind of self with which one's individuality is connected. Anything that one loves is also a self. As a matter of fact, all love is a movement of self in a particular direction. When the self moves, we call it 'love'; and when it does not move, we call it 'being'.
But, it is the same 'self' that acts, whether it moves or whether it does not move. The movement of the 'self' towards an object for any particular given purpose becomes the cause of affection for that object, and the 'Self' which is primary, is recognised in the object which is secondary. So, in the love of the object we are loving our own self really, it is not just something else. The object is invested with the character of the 'Self', and then there is an immense affection felt for the object. Every form of love is the love of 'Self'. There is nothing else in any form of affection. The object which is thus invested with the character of one's own Self, becoming the centre of affection, is what is called the secondary self. It is also a self, but it is not the Absolute Self. So, it is called secondary.
The third form of self is this body which is temporarily assumed as the 'self' for the purpose of working out certain Karmas done in previous births. The nature of this body is characterised by the structure of the desires expressed in previous lives, and the Karmas performed in previous lives. A Karma, or an action, is a desire that is externalised in respect of an ulterior motive. Every action is desire-propelled. A desire-propelled movement in the direction of an object is an action, and that action produces a reaction, because every action is an interference in the universality of the cosmos. The equilibrium of the universe is disturbed by every action of any individual. This disturbance that is caused by the action of an individual is set right by the balance that is ever maintained by the universe.
And this balance is maintained by a reaction that is so set up. The reaction comes back as a boomerang upon the very individual who is the source of that disturbance. This is called the Karma-Phala, or the fruit of action. That Karma-Phala becomes the seed for the manifestation of a future body. So, this body which we are assuming today, and in which we are embodied, is the result of our past Karmas. It is of such a nature, such a character, such a duration of life, etc., as were our previous desires and actions. This body also is an ?tman for us. We love it immensely. So it is 'self', but it is a 'false' self. It is not the real Self. So it is called the Mithya-?tman. Thus, the threefold distinction of the ?tman is made in this manner-the Mukhya-?tman, the Gauna-?tman, the Mithya-?tman-the primary Self, the secondary self, and the false self. Here, the Universal Being Willed, "Let me have a secondary Self." This is, perhaps, the meaning of this passage of the Upani?had.
You have heard this great passage of the Bible: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Something like this is what the Upani?had tells us here. The Eternal Wisdom was manifest, with the eternal Word, and with this Word the whole cosmos was created. The Word which is with God, and which is God, is not merely a letter, or a sound that we make through our lips. It is an energy; it is a force; it is a vibration, which materialises itself, concretises itself into object-forms. The Word is the Veda, or Eternal Wisdom which is with God, and it is inseparable from God, and so, it is God Himself. The Cosmic Mind projected itself in the form of this Eternal Word, and manifested this universe.
In the Manusmriti, and such other ancient texts, we are also told in a symbolic manner that Praj?pati, the Creator, conceived the whole cosmos in the pattern of 'Om', or the Pranava. The Pranava, or Omkara, is supposed to be the seed of the whole universe. That is the essence of the Word that is Divine. It is also the Veda contained in a seed form. The whole of the Veda is inside 'Om'. "Eka eva purn vedah pranavah sarva-vangmayah," says Bhagavan Sri Krishna, as recorded in the Srimad-Bhagavata, when he spoke to Uddhava. There was only one Veda in the beginning. It was 'Om'. We did not have four Vedas like Rik, Yajur, Saman and Atharva. They were classifications made later on by Sage Veda-Vyasa. 'Om' is supposed to be a vibration, which is integral in its nature, and that is the Word spoken of.
This Word which is Om, is the cause of the whole cosmos. The Mind of the Universe, the Cosmic Mind, Prajapati, got united with this Word, which means to say, Consciousness vibrated through this Word for the purpose of the manifestation of the universe. And, in the Manusmriti, we are told that Pranava splits itself into the Vyahaitis-Bhah, Bhavah, Svah. These are mystical syllables which are supposed to contain the inner content of the Pra?ava. And we are also further told that the three Vyahritis split themselves into the three P?das, or the quarters of the G?yatri Mantra which is supposed to be expounded in a greater detail in the three sections of the Puru?ha-S?kta.
These three parts of the Purusha-Sakta become the three Vedas-Rik, Yajur and Saman, and in all their multiplications. So, the origin of this creation is supposed to be a communion of the Cosmic Mind with Cosmic Vibration, which is referred to as the Word, the Veda-Vac, which means speech, the Original Word.
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